With the whole country watching, Washington's peculiar way of running elections could be on full display next week. Republicans expect to make big gains Nov. 2, taking back the House and possibly the Senate. The GOP needs to win 10 seats to control the upper chamber, which is the reason the tight race between Sen. Patty Murray and Dino Rossi is being watched closely.
Here's the problem: If the contest is as close as polls suggest, it's entirely possible we won't know who the winner is Tuesday night. That's because in the Evergreen State, voters only to have mailed their ballots by Election Day. In other states the ballots have to be received by Nov. 2. David Ammons, spokesman for the secretary of state, says only about 60 percent of the ballots in Washington will have been counted by Election Night.